bookcurios Chapter 534 9 Yuan County
Chapter 534 9 Yuan County
On the vast grassland, the disputes and changes between tribes are like a drama that is constantly being played out.
Yelu Qing led his troops to occupy Jiuyuan County with great momentum. This was a common occurrence in the grassland world where the strong prey on the weak. The tribes were accustomed to such changes of power and did not think there was anything wrong with it.
However, all this was like a sharp thorn in Dun Khan's heart, making him extremely uncomfortable.
Dun Khan's resentment was not simply because he gained nothing from the distribution of benefits from the construction of the railway.
More importantly, with the advancement of railway construction, many wealthy tribes banded together for common interests and formed a powerful force.
The rise of this force undoubtedly poses a potential threat to his ruling position.
Especially at the critical moment of the last southward looting, Yelu Qing changed sides.
Although he did not deliver a fatal backstab, his actions shook the foundation of Dun Khan's rule in the tribe, which was what made Dun Khan most concerned.
With the intention of regaining power and restoring prestige in his mind, Dun Khan began to plan how to regain control of Jiuyuan County from Yelu Qing.
At that time, it was the golden season for grazing on the grassland. The vast grassland was like a green velvet carpet, and the fresh green grass swayed in the wind. It was a good time for cattle and sheep to grow fat.
Dun Khan told his ideas to the herdsmen in the tribe, hoping to get their support and jointly challenge Yelu Qing.
However, most herders responded coldly.
They knew very well that starting a war at this time would inevitably affect the grazing and reproduction of livestock, and would affect the livelihood of the entire tribe.
After weighing the pros and cons, most herders were not willing to take risks for Dun Khan's ambitions.
Dun Khan looked at the herdsmen's indifferent eyes, his heart filled with helplessness and anger.
He clenched his fists and swore secretly: "Humph, you short-sighted guys, you will regret it one day!"
But faced with reality, he could only put this plan on hold for the time being and wait for the right opportunity.
In the distant Qin territory, the situation was equally complicated.
Conikoda's army joined the camp supporting Zhao Hong, thinking that this would give Zhao Hong's army the upper hand in the confrontation with the Sima family coalition forces.
However, things went against their wishes and the two forces fell into a protracted tug-of-war.
On the battlefield, the air was filled with smoke and the sounds of killing were deafening. Both sides fought back and forth, neither giving in.
Over the course of a year, countless soldiers shed their blood on the battlefield. Both sides paid a heavy price, and their respective strengths were depleted.
But both Zhao Hong and the Sima family had ambitions to dominate the Qin territory, and neither was willing to humble themselves and make peace with the other.
They continued to stalemate on this land like two bulls with red eyes fighting, and no one knew when this war would end.
Time flies like a white horse passing by, and in the blink of an eye, autumn is quietly approaching.
The golden leaves are falling, giving the grassland and the earth a different kind of color.
At the same time, the pace of railway construction did not stop. The rails were like a winding iron dragon, extending rapidly towards Jiuyuan County.
With the railway line being laid to Jiuyuan County, the area has ushered in unprecedented development opportunities.
Yelu Qing keenly sensed the huge potential contained therein. He followed the model of the railway group and cleverly divided Jiuyuan County into countless blocks of different sizes. He extended invitations to various tribes on the grassland, welcoming them to settle in.
The conditions proposed by Yelu Qing seemed simple: the tribes only needed to recognize the legitimacy of his rule in Jiuyuan County and provide certain support when his so-called "Liang State" faced a crisis.
The tribes on the grassland have always been good at gathering for interests. Now Yelu Qing is not only willing to divide the land for free, but also promises to give them opportunities for development.
This is undoubtedly very attractive to tribes that are eager to expand and prosper.
As soon as the news spread, various tribes responded.
Among them, the Khamba tribe in Wuda was particularly active.
The Khampa tribe was well aware of the great convenience brought by the railway, and they had a grand plan in mind: to extend the railway further to the foot of the Helan Mountains.
The Helan Mountains, also known locally as the "Beiyi Mountains", are like a giant dragon, stretching for hundreds of miles. The mountains are steep and tall, and have been a battleground between the Central Plains dynasties and the nomadic peoples of the northwest since ancient times.
This is not only an area where multiple ethnic groups have lived together for a long time, but also a gathering place for immigrants from all dynasties.
More importantly, the Helan Mountains are astonishingly rich in resources. Various plants such as poplar, mountain poplar, elm, lilac, mountain red, yellow cork, and wild grapes grow all over the mountains.
However, due to transportation restrictions, these abundant products are difficult to transport and realize their due value.
Precious animals such as lynx, red fox, red deer, argali, and musk deer often appear in the mountains, but due to inconvenient transportation, effective trade is difficult.
The key figure behind this plan was Li Gengbao, the representative of the Yi Yu Chamber of Commerce.
He knew the potential value of the Helan Mountain area, so he asked the Khamba tribe to come forward and make the proposal, while he himself was behind the scenes making plans and pushing the matter forward.
Under his careful planning, this matter went very smoothly and soon came to fruition.
Due to the limitations of train technology at the time, trains had to stop for minor repairs every thousand miles. Jiuyuan County, with its special geographical location, naturally became an important transit station.
For a time, there were a lot of cars and people coming and going here, and it soon developed into a transportation hub.
Such a unique geographical location naturally attracted the attention of many forces.
Yelu Qing had long regarded this place as the core of his power. Dun Khan also coveted Jiuyuan County. The noble families of the Great Zhou also saw the commercial potential contained therein. Even another Liang Kingdom was eyeing this land.
Just as the various forces were secretly competing with each other, the situation in Qin suddenly changed.
On the battlefield where the battle was indecisive for a long time, Conikoda suddenly received a secret order from Li Weize.
He decisively withdrew his troops and decided to unite with the Di people to jointly control the Bayan area, and tried to exchange part of the land in the Bayan area for part of Jiuyuan County.
Originally, the Bayan area could be said to be the traditional territory of the Di people, but the army of Liang State occupied this place and stayed there like a "nail house", making the situation more complicated.
Yelu Qing, who has always actively supported the construction of railways and devoted himself to the development of Jiuyuan County, now feels unprecedented difficulty.
After all, he has now been elected as a leader by a group of wealthy families on the grassland, and everyone expects him to properly solve this problem.
In desperation, Yelu Qing decided to send the eloquent Yu Wenhua as a representative to negotiate with Connikada's side.
He knew very well that Yu Wenhua was good at negotiating and hoped that he could get favorable conditions for himself.
On the day of the negotiation, Yu Wenhua arrived at the agreed location early, secretly trying to figure out the other party's intentions.
Not long after, a group of people from the other side slowly approached, and the leader was actually the high priest of Liang State, Ulip.